Professional gamers. Who are they? What do they actually DO? These people are actually more accessible (and perhaps, more popular) than we might think. Thirty year old Jonathan Wendel (alias Fatal1ty) is the perfect example of this. He became a professional gamer at the age of 19, and has since won over $500,000 in prize money. He has won over 50 e-sports competitions, which, in case you were wondering, is more than anyone else in the US. He has competed on every continent except Antarctica. He was also ranked number one in the world for two years straight by the Cyberathletic Professional League (CPL). Currently on hiatus from the competitive circuit, Wendel now has his own brand of Fatal1ty gear, which includes, amongst other things, mouse pads and motherboards. Since he is not "actively" seeking to compete, Wendel now only trains a meager eight hours a day. Despite this, he was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award by the eSports Awards in 2007.
Wendell won 4 championships in the CPL and also one in the World Cyber Games. The games played change from year to year based on what the associations select, but in general, world championship games are violent adventure types, such as Quake III and Painkiller. Though the amount of time and effort that is spent perfecting gameplay may seem slightly extravagant, it is important to note that the gaming industry, including both game sales and consoles, brings in over $30 billion annually. This is more than the MLB, NFL and NBA combined. Perhaps becoming a professional gamer isn't a bad career choice.
Overview
Professional gamers. Who are they? What do they actually DO? These people are actually more accessible (and perhaps, more popular) than we might think. Thirty year old Jonathan Wendel (alias Fatal1ty) is the perfect example of this. He became a professional gamer at the age of 19, and has since won over $500,000 in prize money. He has won over 50 e-sports competitions, which, in case you were wondering, is more than anyone else in the US. He has competed on every continent except Antarctica. He was also ranked number one in the world for two years straight by the Cyberathletic Professional League (CPL). Currently on hiatus from the competitive circuit, Wendel now has his own brand of Fatal1ty gear, which includes, amongst other things, mouse pads and motherboards. Since he is not "actively" seeking to compete, Wendel now only trains a meager eight hours a day. Despite this, he was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award by the eSports Awards in 2007.
Wendell won 4 championships in the CPL and also one in the World Cyber Games. The games played change from year to year based on what the associations select, but in general, world championship games are violent adventure types, such as Quake III and Painkiller. Though the amount of time and effort that is spent perfecting gameplay may seem slightly extravagant, it is important to note that the gaming industry, including both game sales and consoles, brings in over $30 billion annually. This is more than the MLB, NFL and NBA combined. Perhaps becoming a professional gamer isn't a bad career choice.
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